Get. Out. Veylor!

I ran through the woods, my boots pounding against the narrow path. Branches snapped back against my arms, leaves slapped my face, and the air grew thicker with every breath. My chest burned. Sweat blurred my vision. The path twisted sharply, roots threatening to trip me, but I didn’t slow down. Fear dragged me forward.

Then suddenly, I burst out of the trees.

I stopped short, bent over, hands on my knees, panting hard.

In front of me stretched a wide, open space, quiet and deeply unsettling. Houses stood in a perfect circle, all facing inward, evenly spaced, like they had been placed with careful intention. There was only one entrance into the compound. Beyond it lay nothing but thick forest, stretching endlessly in every direction.

My instincts screamed.

One of these houses had to be Kaelith’s.

“But where do I even start?” I muttered, straightening slowly.

No people. No voices. No movement. Just silence, heavy and pressing down on me.

I clenched my jaw.

I wasn’t leaving without seei